REVIEW
Creality Ender 3
Creality Ender 3
@BatGlenn13Hot plastic fabrication on a budget
nly a few short years ago, the
thought of getting a consumer-
grade 3D printer, that works out of
the box, for anything under £1000
was a maker pipe dream. Today,
thanks to Creality, we’ve very nearly
got just such a printer for under £200.
The Ender 3, like many printers in this price range,
arrives as a kit. Opening the box, we are greeted with
a printer that’s around 80% assembled and includes a
full-colour manual detailing the twelve-step building
process. There’s a selection of essential tools required
to build the printer, and some additional tools that are
useful for its day-to-day operation (a selection of Allen
keys, a scraper, a microSD card, and USB adapter – to
name but a few). All of the parts are well labelled, with
the screws neatly organised into labelled bags. From
box to first print takes between one and two hours,
and there is plenty of help available online, via the
Ender 3 subreddit and Facebook pages.
Our favourite thing about the Ender 3 is the frame- it’s made entirely from aluminium extrusions, rather
than wood or acrylic found in its contemporaries,
which gives it an incredibly solid feel. The level
of stability this provides means that it can
achieve very good-quality prints, even at
higher speeds. As if that wasn’t good
enough, the Ender 3 also boasts a
Bowden extruder setup. While
the debate of Bowden vs
direct-drive extruders is a lively
topic among the 3D printing
community, Bowden systems
do offer a few undeniable
advantages. A Bowden setup
has the stepper motor that feeds
the filament into the hot end mounted
on to the frame, rather than on the extruder itself. This
means there’s less weight being swung from side to
By Glenn HoranO
Right
The minimal
and solid-
looking
Ender 3 printerCREALITY around £180 creality3d.cnnly a few short years ago, the
thought of getting a consumer-
grade 3D printer, that works out of
the box, for anything under £1000
was a maker pipe dream.
thanks to Creality, we’ve very nearly
got just such a printer for under £200.
The Ender 3, like many printers in this price range,
arrives as a kit. Opening the box, we are greeted with
a printer that’s around 80% assembled and includes a
full-colour manual detailing the twelve-step building
process. There’s a selection of essential tools required
to build the printer, and some additional tools that are
useful for its day-to-day operation (a selection of Allen
keys, a scraper, a microSD card, and USB adapter – to
name but a few). All of the parts are well labelled, with
the screws neatly organised into labelled bags. From
box to first print takes between one and two hours,
and there is plenty of help available online, via the
Ender 3 subreddit and Facebook pages.
Our favourite thing about the Ender 3 is the frame- it’s made entirely from aluminium extrusions, rather
than wood or acrylic found in its contemporaries,
which gives it an incredibly solid feel. The level
of stability this provides means that it can
achieve very good-quality prints, even at
higher speeds. As if that wasn’t good
the filament into the hot end mounted
on to the frame, rather than on the extruder itself. This
means there’s less weight being swung from side toO
Right
The minimal
and solid-
looking
Ender 3 printer